


What's the point?

by nolu



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU, F/M, Fencing AU, hehe sokka is an idiot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26737234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nolu/pseuds/nolu
Summary: Sokka is extremely excited to go to his first international fencing tournament. He didn't expect to be the top, but he never expected to get his head snapped on straight by new friends, or meet the love of his life.
Relationships: Katara/Aang (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Zuko/Mai (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 21





	1. No way she’s that good

**Author's Note:**

> aight to first i’d like to start out by saying that i’ve never personally been to an international fencing tournament. i am simply a fencing noob :) so if anything is unrealistic or incorrect, please let me know and i’ll be sure to change it! there will be a mini dictionary of the fencing terms i used at the end of the chapter. I would also like to mention that yes, it is very unlikely that people from all over the world all speak perfect english. but for the purposes of this fic, they will all be speaking english. i also know that fencing is a rather not east-asian traditional sport but i saw swords, i thought sukka. anyways, hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seventeen year old Sokka attends his first international tournament. He's meets an awkward boy from Japan, and is awed by the top fencer Kyoshi's performance.

“Go Sokka! That’s it, now parry riposte!” Sokka landed his hit. The buzzer went off signaling his point. “And that’s the match!” Coach Piandao clapped Sokka on the back as he walked off the strip. “Great job today Sokka. You’ve been training hard.”  
“Thanks coach!” Sokka pulled off his fencing mask and gulped in a huge breath of fresh air. “Do you think I’m ready for a tournament?” Sokka had just started fencing lessons, and he was doing well in the sport, for someone with only a few months of training.  
Piandao thought for a moment. “I don’t see why not. But don’t expect to do too well. Your first tournament is purely for the experience, not for the glory.” Thirteen year old Sokka didn’t particularly care. He would find a way to win.  
After weeks and weeks of waiting, the day of the tournament finally arrived. Sokka was bouncing with excitement, ready to fight, even if he lost. And lose he did. Every bout. Not one exception. But Sokka didn’t let that break his spirits.  
He trained, and trained and trained. He trained almost every day, with very few exceptions. He came up with his own combinations and strategies, outsmarting his opponents. He trained almost nonstop for months. Until finally, he won his first tournament. And then another. It was a lot to juggle along with his school work, but he managed. A few all nighters a week and multiple cups of coffee was worth the progress.  
Hours of training turned into days, days turned into weeks, and those weeks turned into years. When Sokka was seventeen, Piandao told him he was ready for an international tournament. When Piandao told him the news, he had shrieked in excitement. In a masculine way, of course. Finally, his years of hard work had started paying off.  
His younger sister, Katara, was taking a week off of school to fly with him from Alaska to Tokyo to cheer him on. The two ate a quick breakfast then headed off to the airport. Sokka was a bundle of nerves for the entire flight, and didn’t sleep a wink. Katara leaned into his shoulder, fast asleep. When the two arrived at the Tokyo airport, it was 7am. _Was it only an hour flight?_ Sokka wondered before remembering time zones existed. It was 7am the next day. The tournament started at 9. They rushed to their hotel room and dumped their bags before rushing back out, just in time for the beginning of the tournament.  
The two gaped at the towering skyscrapers of the city, the bustle of the city surrounding everything. They made their way to the warehouse where the competition would take place. Sokka was in awe at the facility, with fencers of all ages and sizes warming up on the strips. “Sorry Katara, but this is my queue.” He dropped his bag in one of the cubbies and headed towards the strip. “Good luck!” She called after him.  
Sokka began his warm up by jogging up and down the strips. Beside him, a dark haired boy matched his pace. His lamé read “HIROSHI, JAPAN”.  
“Hello,” the boy says. “Zuko here.” Sokka smiled at him, grateful for the friendly, if slightly awkward, presence.  
“Hi. I’m Sokka.” The two stopped at the end of the strip to catch their breath. Sokka pulled his brown hair into his signature wolftail. “Excited for the tournament?” Sokka tried to keep the conversation going, wanting a way to try and relieve his nerves.  
“Yeah.” Zuko responded. “I’ve never been to an international tournament before. It’ll be interesting to see everyone’s fencing styles.”  
Sokka nodded. “I’ve never been to one either. I’m kinda nervous, actually.”  
Zuko cracked a small smile, the first Sokka had seen. “Actually, me too.” There was a signal to let everyone know warmups had finished.  
“I’ll see you later?” Sokka asked, hoping to keep the friendly competition.  
“See you later.” Zuko responded, breaking off to find his team. 

Sokka got dressed in his gear. “SAUNIK, USA” was written in big blue letters on the back of his lamé. He was still a bundle of nerves, but he was ready. He had prepared for this.  
Turns out, he wasn’t quite as ready as he expected. He placed 9th out of 30 in his age group, which wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.  
Sokka collapsed into his seat, exhausted. Zuko had placed 8th, though Sokka had clutched their bout together. He could feel the effects of jet lag catching up to him. He was ready to pass out.  
“Some fight huh?” Sokka started. “I don’t think I’ve ever fought this many people at once.”  
“Neither. I’m exhausted.” The two of them looked back over at the strips as the crowd cheered.  
“Let’s go watch?” Zuko asked.  
“Sure.” Sokka loved to watch others fence. He could break down their moves and determine what their style or strategy was. It was something of a hobby of his.  
Zuko and Sokka walked over to see two fencers fighting. One had “KYOSHI, JAPAN” written on her lamé. The other had “HUANG, CHINA”. The two were both very light on their feet, Sokka noticed. Always moving, and always ready to attack. They seemed very evenly matched, with Huang being a little more jumpy. Finally, Huang attacked. It would have been a sure hit, Sokka thought. But somehow, Kyoshi was able to not only block, but also regain the point. The crowd cheered again. “Kyoshi, 13, Huang 11!” The referee called. “En garde! Ready! Fence!” This time, Huang didn't wait for Kyoshi to attack. He exploded at Kyoshi, attempting to surprise attack him. Kyoshi redirected Huang’s attack, and hit his opponent with ease. Sokka couldn’t figure out what he was doing. All of his motions were fluid, as if he was moving like water. I’ve got to fight him, Sokka thought. I could learn a thing or two.  
The two continued to rally, but Kyoshi came out on top with a final score of 15 to 14. Sokka was cheering along with the crowd, and Zuko looked at his teammate proudly. The two saluted each other and took off their helmets and Sokka’s mouth fell open. Underneath the helmets were two girls. _Girls??_ Huang’s long braid of dark hair tumbled out of her helmet, and Kyoshi’s short brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, not too different from Sokka’s own wolftail. Sokka stared in disbelief. _There’s no way girls could be that good._ Zuko had left him rooted to the spot, and had gone to pat his teammate on the back. “You did great Suki!” Then he shuffled backward awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.  
She smiled at him, brushing hair out of her face. “Thanks Zuko.”  
Kyoshi- Suki turned and bowed to Ty Lee, then shook hands with her competitor. “Thanks for an amazing match Ty Lee.” She smiled bubbly back at Suki, any disappointment from her loss was inevident.  
“Thank you! I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in forever.” The two parted with a smile back to their teams. Zuko noticed Sokka standing alone on the sidelines and motioned for him to join them.  
“That was some match wasn't it” Zuko asked as he approached. “Suki, you’re amazing. Er- you were amazing. Wait no! Ugh. Just… don’t take that the wrong way.” He blushed in embarrassment as the words left his mouth, but she didn’t seem to notice. ”I have a girlfriend.” He muttered under his breath.  
“Thanks, Zuzu.” Sokka smiled at the nickname.  
“It was an amazing match, Zuzu.” He teased. Zuko’s blush deepened. He turned to Suki. “So… how do you do it?”  
Suki looked at him blankly. “How do I…”  
Sokka motioned wildly in her direction. “Just… how? Who’s your coach?”  
Suki scratched the back of her neck. “I actually taught myself almost everything I know. I only got a coach recently.”  
Sokka once again stared in disbelief. “No way you taught yourself.”  
Suki narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you saying this because I’m a girl?” She asked, her tone deceivingly calm. Zuko’s eyes widened and he backed away.  
“So what if I am?” Sokka asked. Zuko facepalmed.  
“Okay then. I have a proposition for you, Sokka.” Suki started. “You. Me. We fight. Loser gets to walk the plank of shame.”  
“The plank of shame? How about the loser has to buy the winner dinner.”  
Suki smirked. “Sounds like a plan. She looked over at Zuko, who’s eyes widened in alarm. “You’ll be our ref. See you tomorrow, bright and early.” With that, she was gone.  
“You have no idea what you just got yourself into.” Zuko said. “She demolishes anyone she fights. I give you my condolences Sokka.” He patted Sokka on the shoulder. “I wish you luck tomorrow.”


	2. Who’s Aang?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> water tribe sibling bonding time!! some kids next door interrupt their beauty sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! it’s been a while since i updated lmaoo i seem to be very bad at keeping a schedule. it’s not quite what i wanted, but take my offering of 800 words of partial gaang fluff. will once again have a mini self-written dictionary of any new fencing terms i used.

Sokka and Katara returned to their hotel room after Sokka and Suki had agreed to their terms. Katara had gone out and brought back food for the two of them to eat while Sokka peeled his sweat soaked uniform out of his bag to air out. “Sokka! I have returned bearing gifts!” She held up a bag from the 7-Eleven located right outside their building. “I didn’t quite know what to get, so I kind of got everything.” She dropped the bags on one of their white twin beds, and flopped down next to it. “I didn’t even participate in the event but I’m exhausted. I can’t imagine how tired you are.”  
Sokka smiled. “Hand me some of that food would you?” Katara tossed him a onigiri, or Japanese rice ball.  
“I don’t quite know what this is, but there were a ton of them so I got a few.” Sokka shrugged and unwrapped the triangle of rice. He was too hungry to wonder what mystery filling was inside. He bit into it, expecting nothing more than rice and seaweed. Instead, he was greeted with a mix of flavors and some sort of tender shredded meat.  
“Katara, have I mentioned how much I love you?” He said through a mouthful of food. “You got this at a convenience store?? No way something this amazing came from a convenience store.”  
She laughed, and unwrapped an onigiri for herself. “The convenience stores here are quite the step up from those gas station stores back home.” She bit into her own dinner, and closed her brown eyes.  
“You’re right, Sokka. These are really good. I think I could eat five of these.” The two continued to eat their dinners, each onigiri containing a different filling. After all seven of them had been consumed, they flopped into their beds, exhausted.  
“Goodnight, Katara.” He received no response. His sister was already fast asleep, her breathing calm and steady. Sokka turned to look at the clock. It read 8:00, but Sokka felt simultaneously ready to drop dead and not tired at the same time. _Stupid time changes,_ He gave into his dropping eyelids, falling fast asleep. 

Sokka groggily peeled his eyes open as he hears loud banging on the door. “Coming…” He mumbles.  
“Aang!” A voice shouted, along with the continuous pounding. “Open up!” Sokka rubbed his eyes and opened the door.  
“Who’s Aang?” He asked, and blinked when he didn’t see anyone at the door.  
“Oh!” the voice said. Sokka looked down to where the voice came from. “You’re not Aang.” A small girl with a mound of black hair tucked into a bun stood mid-knock in front of Sokka’s door.  
“No, I’m Sokka, and I’m trying to sleep. Can I help you?”  
The girl shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry. This must be the wrong room. Must’ve read the braille wrong…” A young bald boy poked his head out of a door the next room over. His eyes widened at the sight of a zombie-looking Sokka and the small girl. He raced over, tugging the girl back. She protested with a strangled “Hey!”, but the boy ignored her.  
“I’m so sorry.” The boy bowed slightly in apology. “My friend Toph here got our rooms mixed up.”  
“It’s alright.” Sokka said. “How old are you two?”  
“I’m fifteen, and Toph is fourteen.” He responded.  
“I’ll be fifteen next week!” She called from behind the boy.  
“What’s going on here?” Katara stretched as she walked up beside Sokka, her brown hair slightly rumbled from sleep. The boy’s mouth made an “O”.  
“Katara,” Sokka started. “These are the kids from the room over. Toph and…” He paused, realizing the boy had never supplied a name.  
“Aang. I’m Aang.”  
Katara smiled sleepily. “I’m Katara. But you already knew that…” She rubbed her arm. “Anyways, I’m going back to sleep.”  
“Sleep? It’s only nine!” Toph said, flicking non-existent hair out of her face. “You guys are lame.”  
“We’re lame!?” Sokka cried, indignant. “We’re jetlagged, not lame. Plus, I have a match tomorrow to be ready for.”  
Aang almost quivering with excitement. “Are you guys here for the international tournament too?”  
“Yeah. Are you?” Sokka asked, surprised such a young kid would’ve made the cut.  
“Yep! This is my second one. I fence epee.”  
“You fence epee?” Katara asked, her eyes lighting up. “I don’t fence myself, but epee is my favorite style.” Sokka gave her a pointed look. “After foil, of course.” She amended.  
“Calm down, twinkle toes,” Toph says, lightly kicking him in the shins. “This guy’s a foilist.” She pointed towards the hanging lamé.  
“Right…” Aang scratched the back of his neck. “Would you mind if we came to watch tomorrow? I love watching other styles.”  
Sokka shrugged. “Sure, Why not? We’ll come get you guys at 8:30 tomorrow.” He blinked. “Wait, how’d the blind girl know I have a lamé?”  
Toph shrugged. “I have an innate sense for metal.”  
“Anyways,” Katara said. “I’m going back to sleep. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.” The group said their goodbyes and headed back to their rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! follow me on tumblr @emiikas for any in-between updates or snippets. i hope you enjoyed this slightly filler chapter of fluff! if you did, mayhaps drop a comment or kudos?  
> mini dictionary:  
> epee: a style of fencing where the entire body is the designated target.  
> foilist: a person who fences the style foil (sokka and suki)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!! please let me know what you think of this AU! i will try to update once a week or so :D (also ps i got tired and decided to screw proofreading so if something doesn't make sense pls lmk)  
> comments and kudos are always appreciated <3  
> mini dictionary that may or may not be exact bc this is from my own memory:  
> In order of appearance: perry riposte: a fencing move that is used to block the opponents blade and then attack. Strip: a long, narrow strip (normally made of metal sheets i think) that two opponents fight on. Bout: a round against a single opponent. usually lasts 5 or 15 touches/points. lamé (i say it like lamet): a silver jacket that conducts electricity and tells the competitors who hit who. en guard (i say it like on guard): starting position/get ready


End file.
